FROM TREASURE TROVE TO TREASURE TRUTH: ‘The Parable of the Hidden Treasure’ by Rembrandt

One of the greatest storytellers in the history of art is Rembrandt Van Rijn. Born in Leiden in Netherlands in 1606, he had a unique, uncompromising, innovative ability to portray reality in various moods. He worked on a range of subject matters including portraits, self portraits, landscapes and genre scenes as well as allegorical, mythological, historical and Biblical themes.

Rembrandt penetrates to the heart of the subject. This is best understood through today’s painting in consideration. The narrative is taken from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verse 44. It reads: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The man, who finds it, buries it again; and so happy is he that he goes and sells everything he has, so that he may buy that field.’

The painting is divided into two sections; the background and the foreground. The panoramic view of the vast landscape, silhouettes of mountain ranges, barren hills, stark vegetation and a city afar draws us to the figure of a man who gazes beyond the horizon in contemplation and determination. He gapes not at the priceless treasure of ornate antiques laid before him. He has past the point of thrilled elation. Rather he seems to grasp reality with a vivid understanding of THIS IS IT! He has found the hidden treasure he longed for! He resolves to sell everything he has so that he can buy the field.

But is Rembrandt content with portraying just the narrative? Does he want to express something beyond the lens of his brush? The answer lies in the location. The top corner of the painting displays the city gate. This clearly indicates that the field is not situated in the town, but at its outskirts. And the hidden treasure in found not in an excavated hollow rather within the cavern of a little mount.